The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1887-09-14

feat" as the Chicago Tribune said of
him in 1876, "by the nomination Of
such a man. Chicago Nes0s.
PROTECTING THE PEOPLE.
A Democratic Attack on Rapacious and
Greedy Land-G rant Corporations.
Through the Secretary of the In
terror the Administration has just
rendered decision important not only
in its immediate effects, but also as
conspicuously significant of the atti-
tude of the Government toward Or
ganized SPECTATORS in Congressional
land grants.
The Atlantic & Pacific railway is one
of scores of like corporations that have
received colossal land grants. There
have been many notable and scandal
GUS failures to earn such grants, and
public opinion has been wrought at
times to severe reprobation of the
whole policy of subsidies from the pub
lie domain for the purpose or upon the
pretense Of railway construction.
Both political parties in their conven-
tons Of 1884 called for legislation
which would work complete forfeiture
of all unearned grants. The House
had passed the necessary bills for the
recovery of nearly two hundred million
acres of the public domain squandered
upon spectators. Many members OF
the Senate who sat in the convention
that nominated Blaine and voted yea
upon the resolution which demanded in
effect the passage of the House bills
returned to their seats in the Senate
and deliberately defeated all Of the
bills except one or two of minor inl-
portance, whose passage was not re-
sisted by lobby. To forfeit unearned
grants was a legislative work. To
administer the law concerning the
public domain, which included all
land grant legislation, is an executive
act. For twenty years prior to the adj.
vent OF Cleveland Executive favoritism
toward land grant corporations was
: as apparent in the ruling of the In
terror Department, as, until the revul.
sion III public sentiment some ten
9 years ago, was the recklessness of Con-
, gress in voting away public lands upon
the slightest pretexts.
: The Secretary Of the Interior could
not revoke the acre subsidy OF the At.
lantic & Pacific or any other corpora
q ton but Under the general laws con.
) corning the public domain it rested
d with him to determine one important
+ point concerning these grants. I'm
!. sanctioned by law, but fostered by
past favoritism at Washington, thu
h practice had grown up of withhold
J. ing from public redemption vast area
IS of public domain upon TIT
n ground that as the beneficiary
N corporations could not to {
o certainty enjoy their full land grant
j. they were entitled to indemnit.
10 for any losses arising from shortage b
,e reason of previous entries upon alter
Is nate sections, or from any cause. Tha
IN these spectators should have absolut
n. Assurance of this indemnity they in
Il duced the Government to set aside vas
10 areas outside the belt of their actus
a grant, from which they might recon-
es themselves at their leisure. Areas 9
q withheld have been called indemnit
Of lands. At times the area so with
-. drawn has been as large as the State {
Minnesota. At the present time II
less than rs, 100000 acres would thr
be withheld were it not that with tn
:e- approval of the President the Secrets
nv of the Interior has reversed the oil
OF time policy of the Land-office, and /
II. decision on the claim of the Atlant
or & Pacific, which is clearly and just
on in the public interest as against co
", porate greed, has placed these LAM
1T. subject to the operation Of the HON
OF stead law.
as Sixty millions Of people who nj
nix not concern themselves about detail
he will note with more or less satisfa
ra- ton, accordingly as they have kno'
an ledge of vicious land grant legislati'
his and of the attitude of successive a
NY ministrations toward land grant ra
Ter roads, that at last the Gov ernme
ci- considers the interest of the pub
his rather than the claim of jobbers.-C
Dry cage Herald.